22 SPORT
MILDURA WEEKLY FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015
IN a big blow to Mildura basket-
ball, Lady Heat coach Ang Wall will
step down from her position at the
end of the season.
After weeks of deliberation, the
37-year-old last week advised her
players and the Mildura Basketball
Association board of her decision.
Ang’s announcement follows
Mildura Heat coach James Madi-
gan’s retirement, and the recent
departure of Mildura Basketball
Association general manager Adam
Tarr.
Beginning as a player with the
Lady Heat in 2010, Ang replaced
Ross McFarlane as coach in 2013.
Last season Ang was named Big
V Basketball Division One Wom-
en’s Coach of the Year, after guid-
ing the Lady Heat to second place
and a championship series.
Stepping away for personal
reasons – and to spend more time
with daughters Demi and Sascha –
Ang said calling time on her coach-
ing career was “a horrible decision
to make.”
“It’s hard to think someone else
will take over, but I feel I have given
everything to the team,” Ang said.
With the Lady Heat well posi-
tioned to go deep into this year’s
play-offs, Ang is proud of the way
her team has performed during her
tenure.
“There was a good junior base
when I started,” she said. “I think
I have helped them with their bas-
ketball and given them confidence.
“I don’t think any coach would
ever say their main goal wasn’t to
win a championship, and I still
have a chance to do that.
“Playing finals and putting a
team out on the floor every week
that wasn’t only competitive, but
was playing good basketball, you
think you are doing something
right.
“I wanted to rebuild the team
concept that had been lost over the
years, and make sure there wasn’t
any segregation from the senior
and junior playing groups.”
Notching up 50 games as coach
earlier this season, Ang couldn’t
speak highly enough of the contri-
butions that Brooke Rule (assistant
coach) and Vanessa Power (cap-
tain) have made during her career.
Taking the helm a year after
her husband passed away, Ang said
last year’s suicide prevention night
–
which was orchestrated with the
help of her daughters – was one of
her proudest moments.
Developing many relationships
during her time at the Hothouse,
Ang feels fortunate to be a member
of the Mildura basketball family.
Working closely with James
Madigan during the past three sea-
sons, Ang praised the champion-
ship-winning coach.
“Having somebody of his stat-
ure readily available to get advice
from has been amazing,” she said.
“I don’t think I would have coached
if James wasn’t the men’s coach.”
Undefeated at home this sea-
son, Ang is confident her team can
overcome ladder-leaders Whittle-
sea Pacers tomorrow night.
“I believe we are a 20-point bet-
ter team on our home court,” she
said. “We go to some stadiums and
the lights aren’t even on when we
get there, and there might only be
two people in the crowd.
“The atmosphere of playing at
home, being able to keep our rou-
tine and not travelling seven hours
helps heaps.”
Playing either Keilor or Latrobe
City in the play-offs next week,
Ang says Mildura has the burning
desire to make up for last season’s
grand final loss.
“No-one ever forgets that feel-
ing when the siren goes, and it
plays on your mind,” she said.
“At training we see the runners-
up flag every night.
“There’s been a few times I have
asked the board to rip it down,
that’s how much it hurts.
“It’s in the back of our minds.
We know the league has stepped
up this season with a lot more
imports, so to have made finals is
great, but there is certainly some
unfinished business.”
HEAT COACHES CALL TIME
Outgoing Heat coach seeks
finals redemption
• HARD DECISION: Lady Heat coach Ang Wall has decided to retire at
the end of the season.
LAST Saturday night’s
24-point loss to Warran-
dyte wrapped up Mildu-
ra’s inaugural season in
the Big V Basketball Youth
League.
Competing in Division
Two, Mildura finished the
season in ninth position
with four wins and 16
losses.
Acting as a feeder to the
Heat’s senior squad, the
Youth League team was in-
troduced to fast-track the
region’s most promising
basketball prospects.
Training
multiple
times a week – while also
going on weekend road
trips – the players had the
same commitments as
their senior Heat and Lady
Heat counterparts.
Despite finishing the
season with 12 straight
losses, coach Grant Brown
was happy with the prog-
ress his team made.
Winning three of the
first five games, Grant said
his side showed plenty of
promise.
“After winning a few
games it became a mat-
ter of spreading game
time and giving everyone
a good basketball expe-
rience,” Grant said. “We
beat Warrnambool by one,
which was a hard road
trip, and that gave us our
fourth win.
“From then on we kept
being competitive, I think
we lost two games by a
point and one by three
points.”
Impressed by the pro-
fessionalism of his squad,
Grant said the demands
of the Big V Basketball
League was an eye-opener
for his players.
Implementing
simi-
lar structures and plays as
senior Heat coach James
Madigan, Grant’s goal was
to have his team ready for
the next step.
“That was one of the
main things we needed to
do,” he said. “A lot of the
local basketball is played
run-and-gun.
“Many
Melbourne
teams do the same. They
have small structures
where they run and transi-
tion.
“We got told by a cou-
ple of teams that we were
one of the most structured
sides in the competition.”
Jumping at the chance
to mentor Mildura’s next
generation of basketball
stars, Grant believes his
team met the expectations
placed on them at the start
of the season.
“Our team defence
grew from the start of the
year,” he said. “Our first
quarter last weekend we
kept Warrandyte to three
points in the first five min-
utes of the game.”
Buzzer goes on Heat’s inaugural Youth League season
• PROMISING START: Mildura Heat Youth League coach Grant
Brown, right – with player Tremayne Hurst – was pleased with his
side’s first year in the Big V Basketball League.
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